The new changes make sea fishers eligible for a General Employment Permit, with a minimum annual salary requirement of €34,000.
Now sea fishers can enjoy the same benefits as those other non-EEA nationals employed in Ireland, Schengen.News reports.
The new quote of 150 permits for sea fishers was recommended by a cross-governmental group to upgrade the role of sea fishers to the Employment Permit System.
The initiative to facilitate the recruitment of non-EEA workers to Ireland came as a result of government efforts to address labour shortages in the Irish fleet.
The Employment permit policy is one of the alternatives to how the Irish government intends to address skills deficits.
In general, EEA nationals are required to fill these gaps but in cases when there is a shortage of those workers, the government will turn to non-EEA nationals.
According to data from the Irish Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the number of work permits granted in the first half of 2024 has increased by 20 per cent, reaching 19,303.
Healthcare and social work are the two most sought-after sectors, representing 35 per cent of the total while Indian nationals are the main beneficiaries.
A total of 6,746 work permits or 34 per cent of the total, were granted to Indian nationals, followed by Brazilians (2,320, 12 per cent) and Philippines (2,005, 10.3 per cent).
Source : https://schengen.news/ireland-announces-150-new-work-permits-for-sea-fishers/
